Chapter 67: Shen Yanxi Keeps Her Husband Hidden in a Gilded Cage

Shen Residence, Stream Garden.

“What? You went looking for the tunnel? That man was a river bandit?” Shen Yanxi sat up abruptly on the couch, her mist-shrouded eyes fixed intently on Lu Jin, making him feel somewhat uneasy.

“Well, I’m back safe and sound, aren’t I?” Lu Jin muttered before bowing his head, a lingering fear still gnawing at him—there had been a moment today when he thought it was all over.

“Nanqu, whatever you wish to do, I’ll support you. I know I shouldn’t always hold you back, but next time, could you please take more people with you when you go out? Especially for matters like today—if something had happened to you…” Her words trailed off, and tears began to roll down her cheeks.

Why am I crying now? Lu Jin was at a loss, the courage from their earlier embrace having vanished. He hurriedly reassured her, “Alright, alright, next time I’ll bring more people with me, is that better?”

After much comforting, Shen Yanxi finally calmed down, and the two sat together on the couch, chatting once more.

“Today, Nanmen Yue came by. He said they’ve found the chief responsible for colluding with the river bandits. Just as you mentioned, it’s Wang Ben,” Shen Yanxi said.

“They found him just by his position?” Lu Jin was curious, since there hadn’t been much information that night.

“Each area had someone assigned during the interception and search, and there were witnesses as well. It wasn’t that hard to find him.”

That made sense—after all, the imperial troops were disciplined and organized. Since the matter was resolved, there was no need to dwell on it.

“Yanxi, do you know the Pu family?” Lu Jin asked.

“The Pu family? They’re a powerful household in Songzhou, renowned for their martial legacy. I’ve heard they keep many hired fighters and have close ties with the martial world. Is this matter connected to them?” Shen Yanxi frowned slightly at Lu Jin.

Lu Jin recounted the interrogation of the river bandits that took place earlier.

“You suspect they’re involved?”

“I have no proof yet—only speculation based on the clues we have. There’s definitely something wrong with the Pu family. The bandits wouldn’t mention them for no reason. They can’t expect to fool the authorities just by dropping their name. When the two sides met that night, they didn’t say much, but the only name mentioned was the Pu family.”

“Even if it is connected to the Pu family, it won’t be easy for us to interfere here in Jiangzhou, and the Pu family is not to be trifled with. Promise me you won’t dig deeper into this,” Shen Yanxi admonished gravely.

“I understand.” Lu Jin truly had no intention of crossing the Pu family, but now that he’d stumbled upon what seemed like a grand conspiracy, it was hard to put it completely out of his mind.

“So what will you do about today’s events?” Shen Yanxi asked.

“I plan to talk to my father. I can’t handle this myself—I have no people to rely on, and such a huge matter is beyond my capacity,” Lu Jin replied, openly sharing his plan. After all, how could he, alone, deal with a live captive and a tunnel of that magnitude?

Shen Yanxi didn’t answer immediately; instead, she lowered her head in thought. Lu Jin waited quietly, sipping his tea.

“Don’t tell Father yet. Tomorrow, let me go with you to see it for myself,” Shen Yanxi finally said after a long silence.

“What?” Lu Jin was stunned. He had chosen to tell the Shen family precisely because he lacked the power to act alone and didn’t want to keep anything from Shen Yanxi. Yet she now wanted to keep this from her family? Why?

“Father governs the family and always prioritizes caution. If you tell him now, the tunnel will surely be sealed off immediately. You haven’t told me why you’re searching for it, but I suspect you have your reasons. Let’s go see it tomorrow, and then decide what to do.”

That was reasonable. Besides recovering his credentials, Lu Jin’s main aim was to find the tunnel. Given all he’d heard lately, he couldn’t shake the feeling that troubled times might be upon them, and that tunnel could become useful.

“But what about the river bandit?” Lu Jin asked. Since Shen Yanxi had chosen to keep this secret for now, he was content to follow her lead.

“I’ll have him locked up for now. We’ll decide how to proceed tomorrow.”

“And you—”

“That’s enough. You’ve had a long day. Look at you, covered in dust—go back and rest early!” Shen Yanxi said, rising to brush off his sleeves.

Lu Jin wanted to ask how she would arrange to detain the bandit without her father noticing, but before he could, Shen Yanxi deftly changed the subject.

“Alright, I’ll go back then…” Lu Jin didn’t press further.

“Mistress Siqin, see the young master out,” Shen Yanxi instructed, remaining in the main hall as she watched Lu Jin leave.

“My lady…” Shuqing began, but Shen Yanxi cut her off.

“Shuqing, call Steward Su and Qingyun here.” Shen Yanxi resumed her seat, picked up her book, and began reading again.

“Yes, my lady!” Shuqing replied before leaving. Huayan quickly came up to clear away Lu Jin’s teacup and poured fresh tea for Shen Yanxi.

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Leaving Guanyun Tower, Lu Jin headed toward his quarters at New Moon Pavilion.

“Young master, please come with me,” said Siqin.

“Is there something the matter?” Lu Jin asked, puzzled.

“Miss has arranged for your residence to be moved to Chuyun Terrace today.”

“What?” Lu Jin was stunned. He’d barely left for a while, and now he was being relocated without so much as a word?

A domineering lady indeed, yet Lu Jin was secretly pleased.

Chuyun Terrace was in the northeast corner of Stream Lake, while Guanyun Tower was in the northwest. A long stone bridge connected the two across the lake.

Chuyun Terrace was a complex of several rooms, somewhat like a connected structure. On the lakeside, a vast floating deck extended outward, with a section joined by a floating bridge, forming an inner pool. The whole deck was furnished with tables, chairs, stools, and umbrellas—a truly splendid place.

But with his mind in turmoil, Lu Jin had no interest in admiring the view and stepped straight inside. Passing through the entrance, he found that what looked like a single building from the outside was actually a courtyard within—a design that offered both privacy and openness.

He had already noticed more servants outside; now, inside the courtyard, there seemed to be even more.

“Young master, these are all the servants Miss assigned to attend you,” Siqin explained, seeing the confusion in Lu Jin’s eyes.

“Where’s Caiyun?” Lu Jin asked.

“I’m here, young master!” As soon as he spoke, Caiyun came running up from afar.

“Siqin, you may return to your mistress,” Lu Jin said.

Once Siqin had left, Caiyun took Lu Jin on a tour of the various rooms. It was indeed a world apart from New Moon Pavilion—luxurious, elegant, and imposing.

With a sigh, Lu Jin wondered if this was the official start of his being “kept.”

“Young master, this is Yun’er, the senior maid Miss assigned to serve you,” Caiyun introduced, bringing over a young woman about Lu Jin’s age.

“Greetings, young master!” The woman bowed politely.

Lu Jin looked her over—tall, with exquisite features, more mature and composed than the lively, naive Caiyun.

“Rise. I really don’t need so many people to serve me,” Lu Jin said.

“Young master, this courtyard is too large for one person to manage,” Caiyun muttered.

“May I give you a new name?” Lu Jin asked Yun’er. With names like Caiyun and Yun’er, his head was spinning.

Caiyun shot him a sly sideways glance—young master and his strange habit of renaming people.

“Thank you for bestowing a name, young master!” Yun’er showed no objection.

“How about ‘Chasing the Moon’?” Lu Jin suggested. Caiyun and Chasing the Moon—it had a nice ring to it.

“Thank you, young master. I really like this name,” Chasing the Moon replied happily.

“Young master, there are now two first-class maids in Chuyun Terrace—myself and Caiyun. There are eight second-class maids, twelve third-class, and sixteen fourth-class maids…” Chasing the Moon began listing the staff for Lu Jin.

Lu Jin was dumbfounded. Were all those people he’d just seen here to serve him? This was too much. No wonder there was always a crowd around Shen Yanxi.

“This… I really don’t need so many people…”

“Young master, it’s not as many as you think. The maids can’t work all day without rest—they take shifts. Normally, there will only be one first-class and four second-class maids by your side at a time. The others are busy with cleaning, meals, and all sorts of tasks. Chuyun Terrace is so large, we’d be short-staffed otherwise…”

Lu Jin could only stand there, overwhelmed with astonishment.